Propulsion means for vessels



Dec. 26, 1922. R 1,440,242. J. R. PORTER.

PROPULSION MEANS FOR VESSELS.

FILED MAR. 2. I922. 4 SHEETSSHEET l.

[m r M 0 FM 2 Dec. 26, 1922. 1,41%;242; J. R. PORTER.

PROPULSIONMEANS FOR VESSELS.

FILED MAR. 2. 1922. SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Dec. 26, 1922. 1,44%242. J. R. PORTER.

PROPULSION MEANS FOR VESSELS.

FILED MAR. 2. 1922. 56%

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

Dec. 26; 1922.

J; R. PORTER.

PROPULSION MEANS FOR VESSELS.

. FILED MAR. 2,1922- 4 SHEETS-SHE-ET 4.

JAMES RQBERTSQN PUBTER, 0F EKEIQUTH, ENGLAND.

PROPULSION MEANS F03 "\TESSELS.

Application filed March 2,

To all rv/1077261; 77mg; concern.

Be it lrnown that s ROBERTS-UN Fonrnn, engineer, a subjectot the King of Great Britain, residingorn dofl The Point, Emnouth, in the county of Devon, England, inventeda certain new and useful lmprovement in or Relating to Propulsion Means for Vessels, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has for its object to provide improvements in aeronautical machines and means for the propulsion of same, parts or which improvements are also applicable to marine vessels.

Accordingto thisinve-ntion I employ as a means of propulsion a casing or fluid channel having the form or a Venturi tube and a propeller so located as to draw air through said casing or fluid channel, the aperture of: the upper part or entrance end of said fluid channel being redu ed or curtailed, for instance by radial guides which may be utilized as passages. for the purposes hereinafter referred to.

As an example, a propeller may be situated at the lower enlarged end of the Vonturi tube shaped casing; or passage, or as in another example, the propeller may be located at or about the narrowest portion of the Venturi shaped passage, and the latter may be provided with radial guides disposed in ifront of the propeller, and made of such width at their central cross section that the "fluid channel is considerably reduced thereby, the radial guides may increase in width towards their outer ends, their sides in plan conforming; to lines diating from the axis of the fluid channel. The said radial guides may also be employed with the construction where the propeller is situated at the lower enlarged or exit end oi the Venturi tube.

In applying the invention to an aeronautical machine of the helicopter type, T may utilize the interior 0'? the radial guides as passages for giving;- access to the pilots seat which is located in an elongated chamber disposed 'xially in an air channel which takes the "form. of a Venturi tube.

In one modification the said air channel is centrally located in an outer and more or less spherical enclosure or skin, supported by a series of semicircular ribs or frames abutting on top and bottom ring-frames which enclose the inlet and outlet of the air 1922. Seriallqo. 540,599.

channel, and supported on suitable vertical coin ins or standards.

in a l. tion the outer in her mo 2111C more or less spheric l enclosure or skin may he so constructed that its upper part will open our and form parachute when required.

T will first describe my invention as applied to an aeronautical machine of the helicopter type, for which purpose will refer to,

Figs. 1 to 6 oi. the accompanying drawings, in which' l is a vertical section,

Fig. 2 is a plan,

Fig. 8 is a section on line X X of Fig. l.

l ig. 4; a diagrammatic sectional elevation the aeronimticai machine showing a igcment of the propeller. i

5 is a similar view to F 4 showing how the outer enclosure of the aeronautical machine may be utilized as a parachute.

6 is a plan of Fig. 5. I

2" describe the invention ap- T. will late plied to the propulsion oil marine vessels, which purpose i will refer to Figures"? and 8, of which Fig. 7 is a longitudinal section, and

Fin. 8 an end view of Fig. 7 from the left. Referring now to i to 3, the invention is here shown as a iplied to aeronautical machines oi? the helicopter type such as described in my British Patent No. HEM-l6 and more particularly Fig. 5 oi the speci fication of the said patent. (a is an engi" e mounted on the central, shaft 71 so as to drive the propeller c direct or by suitable gearing. The exhaust from the engine a maybe discharged directly on to the surface of a revolvingtuel tank (Z as indicated by the pipes e, e for the purpose of heating the tuel in the fuel or fuel vapour "from the said tank ol being conveyed to the eug'ine a in any suitable manner.

The propeller blades f are fixed on the radial arms of the rotary tank (Z. The rotary tuel tank shown may be omitted and other fuel tanks provided in which case the propeller blades will be mounted on a suit able frame or radial arms.

Advantage may be taken of the flow of in the Venturi channel t, the static pressure of which is low, to induce a current of the said tank,

air through the space gsurroundinp; the en gine cylinders.

' square of the air velocity.

In applying the present invention to the helicopterfadvantage is taken of the constructionof the Venturi tube f to provide accommodation for the pilot in the top portion of the central body/ 2, immediately above the rotary tank 03 and engine a, means of access thereto being obtainedlby a seriesof radial passages 2', leading from the annular enclosure surroundingthe Venturi shaped channel 7", and constitutinp the radial guides already"referred to. 'janri 7c areha'nd-wheels by which the pilot'contro'ls the fueland air supply to the engine.

lhef'said radial passages or guides {have the shape offa flattenedoval or spool in section as shown "more clearly in "Fig. 3, and may have a height equal to the shrouding Z above the propeller cand embrace radial members we which connect the upper ends of the standards n with 'a central standard 0 disposed in alignment with the central engineshaft bf'The pilots seat is located directly above the engine a and tank d,'-and within the centralbo'dy or fuselage it which is circular in section and cylindrical, in shape. The height of the vertical shrouding Z above the propeller is preferably the'same as that below, the air channel through the machine having a varying cross. section (induced by the propeller, if there were no radial passages, would produce a reduction of static pressure on the skin of the annular body, which pressures would neutralize each other, the reduction of static pressure on the surface above the propeller beingcounteracted by'a similar reductionof pressure on the surfaces below.

In the present invention radial passages are used above the propeller, the cross sectional area of the Venturi-tube being reduced in consequence of the space occupied by the passages, and this is particularly the case at thesection where the radial passages have a maximum Width, in which the cross section of the Venturi tube is reduced tohalf its original area.

By the Venturi law it is kon wn that'the static pressure of the fluid on the-walls of the channel is reduced in proportion to the Comparing the pressure at a reduced area of 50-per cent caused by the radial passages above the propeller with the corresponding section of the the propeller of this lower section is half occurring at the corresponding section above the propeller. As-the reduction of static pressure on the skin varies as the square of the velocity,'it"'follows that the reduction ofstatic pressure at the reduced area above the propeller is four tmies'that of'the corresponding section below. If A is the area in square feet of a circumferential str p of Ventun "surface one foot in depth at the reduced area then 2 A equals the area of similar strip at the corresponding section below, and if V is the velocity "in "feet per secondof the air at the reduced area the vel'ocity: at

2 I to is the weightof a cubiefoot of air an'd the corresponding lower poi-ntfis the gravity constant, we have a reduction pressure on the corresponding strip below which signifies that there is an unbalanced force'on the machine,

the vertical component of which tends to raisethemachine. p

I /Vith respect to the pressure on theslrin oi? the gu des or radial passages. only, the

upward and downward pressi ires neutralise. l or alightlng on land, a series of spring cont-rolled wheels .1 may be provided, the

vertical rods a holding said wheels -being free to. slide within downward extensions of the standards p.

vtis the platform by which the pilot or'a passenger may direct thecourse of the machine as described ininysaidprior-British patent. p

Referring now to Fig.4; In the modified construction hereshown the propeller "is situated at, beyond, the lower enlargedend of the Venturi shaped passage or casing f, and is adapted to draw through said passagefthe aperture of the upper part of whichis reduced or curtailed by the radialsguides or passages i.

The propeller 0 may be dri'ien by an engine located as indicatedat (v -or in other suitable manner. s

llxcept that the propeller 41 operates at the lower end 01. the Venturi shaped channel to drawnir therethrough the one! ation will be in the hereinbetore described construction. I

Referring now to Ei'gs- 5 and-6 which show oneunethod whereby the outer enclosureor skin of the helicopter is adapted to form a parachute when required.

-The upper part of the outer enclosure or skin Z is here shown as divided-into a hunt ber of movable segments 2 which are hinged at their upper ends as at 3 to the i i supports upper end of the turi shaped channel f, their lower being secured by cords or wires '-l abl guided and tastened *ogether N .L Y ,1 Y L .i. position CJllvElllQllL LG e12 so hat t s 0. cm

0 X responding segnien' the 16fi111l8f extent to plied 19s. .1 l now refer; nilar letters will. be employed tor siniilar parts, where applicable.

The propulsion device shown consists of a water channel in the form oi? a Venturi tube ,f and consisting oi. a casi in. the narrowest part of which is located the propeller 0 carried upon a shaft :0 running on bearings mounted on an axia located body part o which carries the i guides 2' extending across the Venturi channel f; the rear part '0' oi the central body 1 may rotate with the propeller. The Id radial suides 2' reduce or curtail the aperture or the said Vent; -sha ped channel f where it leads up to the propeller c and the operative effect will be the 2 ie as that already des-ribed with reference to the helicopter.

The outer skin Z of the Venturi channel will be of more or less spherical shape as shown in the drawings, and attache to the ship by one or more projections to.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is As anieans o1 propulsion a fluid cha= nel having the form oi a l enturi tube, a propeller so located as to draw through said channel, and means coisisting of radial guides whereby the upper part or entrance end of the Venturi-shaped channel in :tront of the propeller is reclined or. curtailed.

As a means of propulsion a fluid uel having the form of a Venturi tube, a propeller so located as to draw air through said channel and radial gui es of spool shaped. cross section. exteinongr across the upper part or entrance end ot the said fluid channel, said guides being of such width at their central cross section that the fluid channel is considerably reduced thereby.

3. An. aeronautical machine of the heli copter typprovided with a fluid channel having); the form of a Venturi tube, a propellerso located. as to draw air hrough said thiid channel, an axially elongated chamber containing the pilots seat and disposed cengguides e15;

chamber.

l. n aeronautical type nrovi i channel,

spool shaped cross section extending; across the upper part of the said filllCl channel to said axially elongated on! niber whereby said 'des may be utilized passages giving access to the said cliairdier and means for supporting; said radial guidesconsisting of radial inonibers ante ing from a column within 1' a central chamber to vertical col us which connect top and bottom rings the inlet and outlet of the venturi i nuid channel.

6. [in aeronautical machine of the helicopter type provided with a fluid channel having the form of a V en a; tube, ropeller so located as to draw air through said fluid channel, axially elongated cna 1i containing the pilots seat and disposed centrally 0; and surrounded by said Vent ri shaped fluid channel, an outer spherical skin supported by series of semi-circular ribs, abutting on top and bottom ring frames, which enclose the inlet and. outlet of the l enturi shaped fluid channel, and radial v -.cross the upper part of the said Venturi shaped channel to said axially elongated chamber 7. An aeronaut cal machine oi? the helicopter type uni-aided wito a fluid channel. having the fo m of a Venturi tube, a propeller so located to dr w air through said fluid ch" containing thepilo seat d disposed centrally of and surrounded by said Venturi shaped fluid channel, an outer spherical s rin supported by a series of semi-circular ribs, abutting on top and bottom ring frames, which enclose h inlet and outlet of the r; e Venturi shaocd fluid channel and radial l 7 (a i I.

me szud ken; machine nfflw heli- (lefi r'itl'l g hid manna} "F21 X en'turi tube, :1 pro- 0 mam m Qhrough mid Hy elangzmt c 0% and (H mid 0111 1111191 mntainir I trail '01? a Sh aped fluid 'mnber um whereby semi-circular ribs, 15 "attain ring frames,

radial [11% upper pm;

o channel to said ems whereby fcul kin is cen- .their upper EH-v h d 9116a and relcasezil on the 2' 

